Check valve for door closers



Fens, 1943. y' "u, VQELKEL 2,310,902

CHECK VALVE FOR DOOR CLOSERS Filed May 13, 1940 ORNEY.

Patented Feb. 9, 1943 CHECK VALVE FOR DOOR YCLOSERS John F. Voelkel,Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Marie Alina. BommelFrohlich Application May 13, 1940, Serial No. 334,779

1 Claim.

This invention relates -to a check valve for door closers and checks,and has for its object to prov-ide an improvementl therein whereby theparts operate with `greater facility, are more simple and at the sametime the control is improved.

In door closers and checks-of this kind, which operate with oil as afluid medium, there has been considerable dimculty in adjusting the`passages for the oil so as to determine the amount of oil to passthrough. A further difculty yhas been that after door `closers andchecks of this kind are installed in the oor of a building, it is verydiicult to obtain access thereto for either adjustmentor repair.

The purpose of this invention is to overcome these objections and theinvention of the improvement herein described consists in providingregulative means after the doorcloser andcheck have been installedwithout the necessity of taking the closer andchec-k away from itsinstalled position or without the necessity of removing the coveringseither of wood or cement.

For this purpose my invention consists of the improvement hereinafterdescribed, the embodiment of which is shown in the drawing and whichWill be nally pointedout in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an end View of my improved door closer and check.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectionftaken on line 2-2 of Figure1.

Figure 3 is a detailed sectionftaken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 isa detailed section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe Yvarious views.

Referring to the drawing, and vmore particularly to lFigures 1 and 2,`the usual housing is shown in dotted lines in AFigure 1 and indicatedby the character I0. This housing has inwardly projecting shoulders I Iand upon these shoulders the projecting shoulders I2 of the casing I3are placed. The shoulders I2 are provided with screw threaded socketportions I4 adapted to receive screw threaded members therein.

Within the casing I3 a piston I5 is arranged, which has a piston pin I6engaging the piston rod I'I.

The interior of the casing I3 forms a cylindrical member I8, for themovement of the piston I5 and beyond this cylindrical member I8, anenlarged cut-out portion I9 is provided which has a larger diameter thanthe diameter of the cylindrical portion I B.

The .piston .I is also .provided with a ,conduit 29 yinclined in.position as it `passes through the piston l5 and having Aan enlargedportion 2I in which there .is .placed a Vball 22, held therein `by thepin 23.

The piston head .Ita has a longitudinal conduit A2li and another conduitAat right ,angles thereto indicated by 25.

The `parts just .described ,are `old and well known.

The vimprovement .in a structure of vthe `kind described consists inproviding the exterior of the casing 4I3 witha vertically slidablecylindrical member :38, whichmember has a bore 3;I vextendingtransversely therethrough. The internal configuration of Athis bereis ofgeneral oval or elliptical shape as is .shown inFigure fi. The actualshape .is not important, but what lis important is Athat the bore.should be `larger `than the diameterofthepin 13,3 supportedinthe Wallsofthecasing lSand passing through the bore 3l The lower part ofAthis.member 35] is shaped in the form of a cone and indicated by A34Vso as to rest upon similarly inclined sides 135 in the vcasing I3.

The conically shaped member E4, when resting upon the similarly inclinedseats 35, acts to throttle Vthe conduit 25 Yand control the passage ofoil or other fluid therethrough.

The external circumferenceof the cylindrical member 3i) is somewhatsmallerthanthe circumference or the v bore :Sfiin the casing I3 so thatthere is Aa freedomof movement, both vertically and transverselyv ofthecylinder member ,30 Withinvthe .bore 36.01 thecasing I3, the `conicallyshaped lend .34 finding its own position in respect to the sides 35.

'Theupper part of the cylindrical member it is providedwith asphericallykshaped concave cavity il?, which is engaged by a similarlyshaped end, but .of convex .form indicated by 3.3 of .a rodor spindle39. This rod 3S has at its other end a screw threaded portion ,dil`which engages Ycorrepass in engaging these registered openings, throughthe irregularly shaped opening 3l of the cylinder member 39.

There is a certain amount of looseness of movement of the member inrespect to the casing I3 due to the fact that the bore 3| is larger thanthe pin 33. Were the diameter of the pin 33 of exactly the same size asthe bore 3|, there would not be this freedom of movement. The invention,however, consists in providing this freedom of movement as described.

Due to the fact that the upper part of the cylinder 33 is provided withthe concave portion 31 and the pin 39 is provided with the convexportion 38, the positioning of the cylindrical member 30 is controlledto a certain extent by the spindle 39 in that at whatever position theconvex portion 38 may contact with the concave portion 31, aself-aligning of the member 3U with the spindle 39 will take place.

This is important because after the door closer and check has beeninstalled, its adjustment can be carried out without breaking up thefloor under which it has been installed. The regulation of the spindle39 passing through the iioor 42 and being adjustable in respect thereto,permits adjustment of the cylinder member 30 from the outside of theupper part of the floor.

The upper end of the member 39 is provided with a slot 40a for theentrance of a tool so as to rotate the member 39 for adjustment purposesdescribed.

In Figure 3 is shown a check valve which is arranged in the piston I5 inthe position shown in Figure 1. This check valve consists of an openingin a seat 49, a cylindrical portion 41 and a screw threaded portion 48.

Within the cylindrical portion 41 is a ball 49 of an exterior diameteralmost equal to the interior diameter of the cylindrical wall 41 and theball is adapted to rest upon a conically inclined shoulder 46 andthereby when so resting thereon, closing the passage 45.

The screw threaded portion 48 of the piston I5 is engaged by a member 50having an external screw thread 5I engaging the internal screw threads48 and this member 50 may be provided with a transverse slot to enablethe member 50 to be engaged by a screw driver or other tool. This member50 also has a bore 52 and a conical seat 53 for one end of the spring35. y

Interposed between the conical seat 53 of the member 53 and the ball 49is a spiral spring 55, which serves to press the ball 49 against theconical seat 46. By moving the member 50 inwardly, a greater pressure isexerted upon the spring 55 and by moving the member outwardly, a lesspressure upon the spring 55 results. This regulation of seating power ofthe spring 55, which spring presses the ball 49 against its seat 46, isthen determined by member 5D. Thus the fluid which passes from theinterior of cylinder I8 through the piston I5, from one side to theother of the piston I5, is regulated not alone by the valve 22 in themanner well known, but a more refined and a more accurate regulationresults from the use of the regulating device shown in Figure 3.

My device is, therefore, very simple in its construction, may be easilymanufactured and may be equally easily installed.

In one embodiment of the invention the center lines or axes of the valvemember 30 and the adjusting member 39 are in substantial alinement anddisposed substantially vertically and with the cone seat 34 concentricof the longitudinal center or axis of the valve member 30. There is noconnection between the members 30 and 39, that is no direct mechanicalconnection. The longitudinal center or axis of the adjusting member 39is xed by the support 42 while the center line or axis of the member 30may move laterally or horizontally within the limits of the pin member33 in all radial directions to permit the cone 34 to accommodate itselfby its weight into a central or proper sealing position upon the casingseat 35 which may be concentrically arranged in the casing uid passage25.

The ball and socket joint or confronting faces 31, 38 enable thishorizontal movement of the valve member 39 with respect to the fixedaxis of the adjusting member 39. The surfaces 31, 38 being parts ofspheres are self centering causing the floating valve member 35 to seeka central position with respect to the adjusting member 34 Whenever thevalve member 30 moves up in response to the pressure of the iiuid or isforced down upon its seat by the pressure of the adjusting member 39from above.

Having described the invention in character with an embodiment thereof,it is not intended that the invention be limited to the precise form andarrangement, but that the scope of the invention is set forth in theappended claim.

What is claimed is:

A check valve for use in a door closer and check, comprising a valvechamber having a conical valve seat, a valve member in said chamberhaving a concaved upper end and a lower end conically shaped and adaptedto cooperate with said conical valve seat, said valve chamber above saidseat being diametrically larger than said valve member to permitrelative movement of the latter transversely in said valve chamber,whereby said valve member accommodates itself to said valve seat, saidvalve member having a transverse opening, a transverse rod of a diameterless than the diameter of said opening secured at its opposite ends tothe wall of said valve chamber and spaced from the walls of saidopening, said transverse rod and opening forming a loose connectionpermitting said valve member to flow transversely and longitudinallyfreely in said chamber between the limits of said loose connection, andadjusting means movable towards and away from said valve member andcooperating with said valve member for adjusting the extent oflongitudinal movement of the latter away from said valve seat Within thelimits of said loose connection, and having a convex portion cooperatingwith the concave portion of the `valve member.

JOHN F. VOELKEL.

